


Small Victories

by IsisKitsune



Series: Twilight is for Sookers [12]
Category: Daredevil (TV), Morbius: The Living Vampire, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Dark Past, Gen, Past Child Abuse, Recovery, Team as Family, idek how to tag this hulp!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-26 23:48:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18727348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsisKitsune/pseuds/IsisKitsune
Summary: Sometimes small victories can lead to bigger ones





	Small Victories

Sam froze when he noticed Michael sitting at the kitchen counter, suddenly the dimmed lights around the place made sense. Bruce was holding a finger to his lip and shaking his head with wide eyes. Okay, no loud noises day. He nodded as he gave the kid a wide birth as not to spook him, finally coming into his vision to get a cup of coffee. He waved a hand at Bruce when his back was to Michael, “Bad day?”

Bruce sighed, not realizing Sam was due back, he ended up waving him out of the room to give Michael space and attempt to begin explaining the situation. Sam's face went from confusion to startled to stone cold anger as he got the info. He finally just nodded and rubbed his eyes and lifted a hand, “What's the plan?”

Bruce shrugged, “We've gotten him out of his room. Just, Jarvis has details on what not to use, stay away from trigger words.”

“He, he's calm? Not like, the way he was worried about before?”

“He's just, he's so scared, nothing-he's not showed any signs of aggression, he seems panicked that he might- It's like before we were able to help him but, it's way worse.”

“No touching?”

“Offer any chance you're comfortable with touch, but don't crowd him and try to keep initiation to a minimum. He's, he's trying to shake a lot that just crashed down on him.”

Sam stepped too close, it was an honest mistake, trying to grab the mug he'd left on the other side of the counter and he froze before slowly shifting away when he noticed Michael tense and start rocking. He had to take a breath so he could walk out of the room instead of stomp, he needed some stress relief, preferably in the form of hitting something. Whoever the fucker was that caused that to happen from the kid that was cheerful and outgoing (at least once you got to know him) deserved some face beating.

Bruce was frowning at Michael's rocking, they'd just gotten him to stop doing that in a room with people in it, but it wasn't intended, it would have happened at some point. He circled the counter and kept his back to Michael as he opened the fridge, “Melon sounds good, do you want some?”

Michael had tensed, the rocking stopped before his eyes seemed to focus, “Melon?”

“Yeah, we have cantaloupe and honey dew, even watermelon, want some?”

Michael licked his lips, “Can I have watermelon?”

Bruce reached for the half melon left from the previous day. “How do you want it prepared?”

“Just, wedges?” Bruce smiled as he turned to grab a knife and then freezes, they were off script, he didn't have an expected response to this. They haven't found anything so far that would prepare them for possible outcome of this. Michael started rocking and covering his ears, “Pounding.”

Bruce snapped out of it, “Sorry, I... I don't like knifes. I'll, I'll have Tony do this okay?”

Michael was still rocking and covering his ears but he nodded as he started to calm down, Bruce forced himself to keep it the fuck together until he was out of the room to get Tony.

Tony gave him a hug before he rushed for the Hulk room while Tony headed to the kitchen to finish breakfast. We all had our limits.

-

Natasha mentioned not pushing, entice, but not pushing offer, but not push, nudge but not fucking pushing! “Don't force” was her exact words. Tony's eyes widened when she walked in and rocked the entire fucking boat. “Thirsty?”

Tony felt it the moment the packet of red was dropped onto the counter, if looks could kill Natasha would have disintegrated. Michael tensed, eyes instantly locked onto the blood now sitting on the table. No rocking, no muttering, just frozen. Natasha went over to the fridge to pour a cold glass of water while Michael's eyes didn't move from the bag. “Yeah,” was finally answered when the water glass was set next to him, “Thank you,” he downed the water, finally taking his eyes off the bag.

“Welcome,” Natasha smiled as she scooped up the bag and walked away.

Tony's hand raised, “What the fuck are you doing?”

“You are his lifeline in this, I'm testing his progress.”

“We just got him out of his room!”

“And you did it on his terms. He's starting to allow for it to be on your terms. The trust is both ways.”

“Tony?” Michael's voice made him flinch, “Bruce said you'd cut the melon for me? He doesn't like knives.”

“Right, so, how did you want it?”

“Wedges is fine,” Tony blinked at the release of tension in that one sentence, suddenly seeing the kid more relaxed that he'd been in so many days.

“Wedges it is,” Trust wasn't 'both ways' it was all ways, the kid needed the kick to let him trust himself. Natasha hadn't stressed him, she proved that regardless of what Had happened, it wasn't happening now, and he didn't have any worry about it happening again. “So, just watermelon?”

Michael shrugged, “I like watermelon.”

“Please tell me you're not a savage that eats it without salt.”

“Who salts watermelon?”

Tony was not amused, “Civilized people.”

Michael rolled his eyes, shaking his head at the sudden tension in his shoulders when Tony shifted his hand a little too close while passing him a slice. “Civilized people would give me a plate or at least a napkin.”

“Eh,” Tony shrugged as he held out a napkin before going over to get a bowl.

Michael was smiling as he bit into his melon slice, “Thanks Tony.”

“You're welcome.”

Michael flinched as he took another bite, Tony didn't think anything of it, figuring he'd bitten a seed or something before he noticed his eyes searching around, “I... I wanna see my room.”

Tony froze, “That's, are you sure? You, you just, your memories aren't-”

“You found a body, didn't you?” Tony's eyes closed, where was Natasha with that migraine medication? He could use it right now. Rubbing his eyes, he watched as the kid ate. “I remember her, I forgot about her before but, I remember the day we moved.” Michael was rocking softly, “It, he, we had to go away. Dad, he said he 'borrowed' something that would help me. He stole a dialysis machine, he got caught before he could... There was this poor girl, Tiffany, I think she was a nurse or something at the hospital. She caught him taking it, and he just... threw her in with me. The problem would solve itself.”

“Afterward you were out cold.”

“Complacent, and easy to transport, provided you kept me out of the sun. Best tranq, only tranq, my father could find. I knew when we were caught again, when we had to move. Because, I wouldn't be hungry when he threw them in, some times he... he'd bring them in tranqed because he already had- had to clean up.”

“Any idea what happened to them?”

“Old buildings, always old buildings. It's easier than you think to grind down bones to powder, especially when they've been burned clean.”

Tony reached out automatically, his hand dropping onto Michael's shoulder, he froze when the rocking started again. “I'm sorry.”

Michael turned to him and smiled before suddenly grabbing him in a hug, “You're not food, and I'm not in that room.”

-

Matt was not amused when Tony had called, asking for backup, explaining what the kid wanted. “He should never have to be there again,” was honestly the only response that came to mind, but it had been his choice. So here he was, standing in the Penthouse, nose wrinkling at the smells of so many chemicals he'd need a shower just to get them off his skin, waiting for them to come up.

“Matt, if you don't ease up, you're going to snap your cane,” Foggy wince at the cracking sound, “Breathe.”

“He never should have to come back here.”

“Matt, these are his demons, let him face them. He chose this.”

Matt started pacing the moment he heard the elevator doors close on the ground floor, was there even a prayer for forgiving wishing for the condemnation of a dead man? Fuck it, may he burn in hell wasn't even close to the line that came into his head in reference. The door opened, so much softer sounding this time, and Matt just glared toward Tony as Michael stepped away from the elevator, “He shouldn't be here.”

“It's his choice, I won't take that away from him, I'll never take anything away from him.”

Michael tensed when Foggy looked about to hug him before he reached out and hugged him first. Tony was stunned as the kid pulled away and smiled before heading through the lab. He started rocking when he saw the door to his room, “Did, did you override the bio-locks?”

“Yeah, you're clear to use everything here now.”

Michael reached out, resting his hand on the panel, when it flashed green he closed his eyes when the door slid open. Tony instantly grabbed Matt and Foggy when they went to step forward, “Don't, don't make him feel trapped.”

Matt could make out the chain on the floor, the heavy metal loop at the end while the other was attached to an anchor on the floor. “They, the workers switched out the lights.”

Michael turned and smiled, nodding, “I know, I wouldn't... I'd already be burning if they didn't.”

Matt nodded as Foggy grabbed his arm. Tony just clenched his fist as Michael circled the room. “We just, we cleaned up a bit, did some repairs, we didn't move anything around.”

“I know,” Michael kicked the bed, slamming it into the wall, “Thank you.” Matt winced at the sound of breaking stone and twisting metal as Michael grabbed the loop attached to the floor and retched it loose. “That's what happened, to dad, he... he didn't realize I was getting stronger over time, I guess, I guess he couldn't find anyone. I was at the point that- nothing else mattered. Not even the risk of breaking my spine.” Michael looked over the snapped chain and mangled shackle, “At that point I wasn't his little boy, I was just... some beast he'd forgotten to feed. Took two bullets, before I got to him. Nearly took his hand off when I- when I knocked the gun away. It was difficult to breathe when I woke up, I was too weak to get the shackle loose.” Michael held up the shackle, “He had a bio-lock on that one. Wouldn't read a corpse. I'm not as strong when I'm not in a frenzy so it took awhile to get it off.” He rubbed his neck, remembering how it dug and cut. “He was a monster,” the shackle fell when he let it go. “I won't be like my father, and I won't let him take any more of my life from me.”

“They're all like this, aren't they?”

“The houses?”

“Yes.”

“No, they're much worse. This was the prototype.” Michael kicked the shackle as he stomped out of the room. “Tony, can you have this place gutted?”

“Gutted?”

“Gutted, gone, nothing left of him.”

“Any plans?”

“A couple, but for now, I just wanna go home.”

“Home sounds wonderful.”

“Doesn't it?”

“So,” Michael winced at the sound of the elevator, “Anything particular in mind?”

Michael shrugged, “Parker, Ned and I will be going to college soon, would make a good three bedroom, don't you think?”

Tony smiled, “Yeah, it would.” Michael didn't even flinch at the hug, “Any idea on major?”

“Parker says I'm good at math... I hate math.”

“That's not an answer.”

“I, honestly don't know. I mean, medicine is the only professional level info I know. But it's not like they're going to let me near people looking like this.”

“We can always work on that.”

Michael frowned, “I'm sorry I broke the UV gem you gave me.”

“Don't worry about that, I can fix it. I'll make sure it doesn't have to go around your neck this time.”

“Thanks,” Michael stepped away as the door opened, “Oh, Tony?”

“Hmm,” Tony looked up from informing the guard about the upcoming renovation they were going to schedule.

“I'm sorry I ever called you 'dad', you're so much better than that.”

Michael smiled at Tony tackling him to hug him and even pepper his cheek with kisses.

 


End file.
